Outdoor (Insulated) Generator Box

Moving from Southern Ontario to the West Coast, we traded cold / snowy winters for coastal wind and rain storms (not to mention, the odd earthquake!). Occasionally, we would lose power. That is, until I decided to invest in a good-size generator – one that would provide temporary power to run the basic necessities of a household. The next decision is how / where you are going to store the generator and provide power into the house when required. I wanted protection from the elements and security at the same time.

What you see here is the design I came up with. The left door (with vent) is removable for increased air flow (when the unit is running). The front door opens to provide access to the generator control panel (it’s a key start). The rear door swings open to provide an effective exhaust port. The lid opens for full interior access and fueling. While I can fully service the generator in place, if I do want to remove it, the front wall is removable. To top it off, the sides, lid and base are fully insulated and vapour barriered. The inside walls and lid are skinned with 1/4-inch ply (with 3 coats of exterior, semi-gloss Varathane).

The exterior sides and top have two coats of primer, followed by two coats of paint (to match the trim on my house). The pressure treated wood drip edge (around the base) has four coats of exterior, semi-gloss Varathane. All doors / vents have water-proof gaskets around them. Most exterior, mating surfaces (e.g. drip edges / overhangs) are caulked with either beige or clear silicone. All hinges, hasps and clasps are exterior grade and the (blue) weather-resistant locks are from Lee Valley (product number 00F25.01). The box itself took a little over 500 stainless steel screws. The pressure treated base and box floor took about 80 coated deck screws.

Bottom line … I did my best to build it to last.

For a complete description, more construction details, and many more pictures of the box construction (interior / exterior) and installation, see the blog I wrote on the same subject … p://lumberjocks.com/MayflowerDescendant/blog/19284.

Ahh.. Life in the Pacific rain forest ….. Ya gotta love it. I know where you’re coming from Glen. We’re looking at a generator his year too. What kind did you get? By the way, Very nice enclosure. Things like this are often neglected while we make “pretty things” in our shops.